Rainforests Expeditions and the Tambopata Macaw Project were born on the same year, one's fate intertwined with the other. At first, the founders of RFE were the directors of the Tambopata Macaw Project, but as both expanded and evolved, the Tambopata Macaw Project found an adoptive father: Dr. Donald Brightsmith. Since Dr. Brighsmith's incorporation to the project in 1998, the project has become one of the world's foremost studies on wild macaws.

The Tambopata Macaw Project is a long-term multidisciplinary study of natural history, conservation and management of large macaws and parrots. The main topics of study included monitoring and observation of macaw nests, increasing survival rates of younger Scarlet Macaw chicks, documenting patterns of clay lick use by large macaws and other parrots, and documenting and understanding the impact of tourism on macaw clay licks.

Rainforest Expeditions has supported the macaw project since its foundation with complimentary food and lodging for researchers, with logistical support and with funds for researcher salaries. We also are careful to react appropriately to recommendations on tourism management at the clay lick.

Finally, we have also hosted a variety of researchers over the years, on an ad-hoc basis.